Cat Stevens to Coldplay: It sure sounds like my song

Reuters, May 4, 2009 5:00 pm PDT
Singer-songwriter Cat Stevens agreed on Monday that the Coldplay song, "Viva La Vida," sounds like one of his 1973 songs, but he stopped short of saying he would sue for plagiarism.

"My son brought it to my attention and said: 'Doesn't that sound like 'Foreigner Suite?'" the musician, now known as Yusuf Islam, told Reuters.

"The song definitely sounds like it," he said of his song. "It has such logical chords and the melody has to be what it is..."

Asked during a telephone interview from London whether he would pursue the issue legally, Islam, 60, said "it depends on how well Satriani does."

U.S. guitarist Joe Satriani has sued Coldplay, accusing the British band of copyright infringement. He claims substantial original portions of his song "If I Could Fly" are recycled in "Viva La Vida" and is seeking damages.

Islam, whose new album "Roadsinger," comes out on Tuesday (May 5), was unable to perform at a New York concert on Sunday because of "work permit" issues. The singer, a Muslim convert, said the problem was unrelated to his being denied entry into the United States five years ago because his name was on a government no-fly list.

"It's just been delayed by a week," he said of his trip to the United States to promote the album. "The day I was scheduled to go to the (U.S.) embassy they had implemented a new system. There were gremlins in the works, but they (U.S. officials) were all so nice."

Islam is scheduled to play one show in Los Angeles next week and appear on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on May 13.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

More Artist News

Lawsuit against Coldplay over 'Viva La Vida' ends

Sep 21, 2009 1:00 pm PDT

Court records show guitarist Joe Satriani and Coldplay have reached an agreement that ends a copyright infringement lawsuit filed over the band's smash hit "Viva la Vida." Satriani sued Coldplay in December, claiming the band copied "subs...

Coldplay, Satriani copyright lawsuit dropped

Sep 15, 2009 9:00 pm PDT

British rock band Coldplay and Joe Satriani have settled their legal entanglements, and the guitarist's lawsuit alleging copyright infringement has been dismissed, Satriani's representative told Billboard. While details of the cas...

'80s and '90s bands a big part of summer tours

May 27, 2009 3:02 am PDT

If you missed some of your favorite '80s and '90s bands the first time around, there's a good chance you can catch them on the reunion trail this summer. Reunions, packaging and pricing are key this year as artists and promoters try to f...

Cat Stevens: 'Coldplay stole my song!'

May 4, 2009 11:00 am PDT

Cat Stevens has said that he believes that Coldplay's hit "Viva La Vida" is a take-off of his own song, "Foreigner Suite." Coldplay recently denied accusations by guitarist Joe Satriani, who claims that the band ripped him off for the son...

A Red-Hot Coldplay Giveaway

May 1, 2009 11:00 am PDT

Coldplay is offering a free play. For cash-strapped fans unable to catch the Grammy winners in concert, Chris Martin and crew have decided to give away an album's worth of live performances online. The nine-track set, titled LeftRigh...

Photos

Loading...
View All Photos »

Videos

1-6 of 65 videos
Prev | Next
View All Videos »